Extremely Disappointing Experience with Insight Trips – Entire Trip Ruined by Irresponsible Driver
We had booked a Delhi–Shimla–Manali tour through Insight Trips starting from 27th September, hoping (Read More)for a smooth and memorable journey. Unfortunately, our experience was marred by the completely unprofessional and irresponsible behavior of the driver (Mr. Sunil), leading to a chaotic, exhausting, and disappointing trip.
Major Issues Faced:
Unsafe and Unscheduled Stops:
Our overnight journey from Delhi to Shimla began at 10:30 PM, but the driver halted midway and slept for 4 hours, leaving us stranded on the roadside with small children and infants in the vehicle.
We reached Shimla at 1:30 PM instead of the scheduled 9:00 AM, missing out on our planned visit to Kufri and wasting the entire day.
Lack of Courtesy & Responsibility:
The driver refused to drop us at our hotel in Shimla citing narrow roads and asked us to arrange local cabs. Only after involving the travel agent did he agree to drop us.
Throughout the trip, he was rude, indifferent, and showed no regard for the comfort or needs of passengers, especially children.
Scam Attempts & Misinformation:
At Kufri, he dropped us at a point where locals charged ₹2500 per person for horse and gypsy rides. We sensed a scam and insisted he drop us further up, which he finally did—but not before wasting valuable time and energy.
No assistance was provided in finding the ticket counter or navigating the area.
Reckless & Irresponsible Driving:
The drive to Manali was rash and dangerous, resulting in multiple passengers vomiting—some of whom never experience motion sickness.
He reached Manali at 2:00 AM and refused to confirm the hotel location himself, making our relatives get down and walk up a steep slope in the dark to check.
No Support for Sightseeing:
In Manali, he dropped us off at a parking area and told us to manage the entire local sightseeing on our own, with no guidance or help.
We had to pay from our own pockets for auto fares and manage everything ourselves.
Unwillingness to Help & Constant Delays:
Frequently delayed departures—often by 30 to 60 minutes—citing personal needs while ignoring the group’s schedule.
Repeated refusals to drop us at our hotels, making steep slopes difficult for children and elderly to climb.
Did not stop for restroom breaks when urgently needed by kids, but stopped for his own dinner while others were asleep.
No Basic Amenities:
Refused to switch on AC or lights, even during night journeys or for basic needs like diaper changes.
When requested, he was either unresponsive or blatantly ignored our calls/messages.
Overall Experience:
The entire trip felt extremely stressful and mismanaged—not due to the destinations, but purely because of the attitude, behavior, and driving of the assigned driver. His name was Sunil, and he showed no courtesy, professionalism, or concern for passenger safety or comfort.
This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, but it turned into a nightmare due to Insight Trips' poor choice of driver and lack of supervision.
Our Strong Recommendations:
Avoid booking with Insight Trips unless they guarantee a professional, courteous, and trained driver.
If you already have bookings, confirm the credentials and reviews of the driver in advance.
For families with kids or elderly, this kind of service is completely unacceptable and potentially dangerous.
We hope Insight Trips takes responsibility for this experience and ensures such incidents are never repeated for any future customers.
The only good thing about the trip was our hotel in Manali that was really comfortable. Hotel in Shimla was good but we had delayed service in terms of food and coffee. Thankfully for the last two days in Delhi and Agra we had different drivers, both delayed our trips by more than an hour but atleast better than the other guy.
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